``So how have you enjoyed being in the city?'' Asriel asked.
Kris perked up from their cup of matcha, humming as they helped themself to a sip. The cup was warm against their fingers and helped immensely with keeping the chill of the autumn weather away.
``It's been pretty great,'' they said, nodding assuredly. ``Kind of getting used to having a lot more freedom than I did back home.''
Asriel smirked. ``Yeah, that takes a little getting used to. Are you eating a ton of pizza too?''
``Pizza, ramen, and those curry bricks whenever Noelle brings some vegetables over,'' Kris explained, motioning vaguely with their hand. They couldn't help but smirk at Asriel when they spoke. ``All of the stuff that would probably give mom a heart attack if she knew it was the entirety of my diet.''
``Your secret is safe with me,'' Asriel teased, winking at them. ``But try eating an orange or something. Some kid in my dorm got fucking scurvy back during our first year.''
Kris winked right back at him. ``No promises.''
Asriel simply rolled his eyes, responding with an unamused snort.
Their brother looked good, having really grown into himself since leaving Hometown. This wasn't the dorky and lanky dude who had a few stray blonde hairs popping up on his chin like pubes. Nor was he the guy who wore a triforce shirt around town. No, this was a pretty handsome monster who filled out his plaid button-up nicely with a strong chest and solid physique. There was even a nice fuzzy blonde growing upon his cheeks and chin, creating a legitimately nice-looking beard.
He was... he looked good. Almost like one of those country guys you'd see in one of Noelle's romance movies.
Earth to Kris! Earth to Kris! Pull up!
``Kris?'' Asriel asked.
Kris stirred. ``Huh?''
``I asked how your classes have been,'' Asriel said, smirking at them before taking a sip of his own matcha. ``Though judging by the way you zoned out, I guess I can tell.''
Kris flushed, just a little, glancing off to the side. ``Yeah, I guess it's been a little hard to adjust. But hey, I bet getting into graphic design is way less stressful than computer programming.''
``Tell me about it,'' Asriel chided, shaking his head. ``I can't remember the last time that I got to sleep in past ten in the morning. I think it was my birthday... maybe?''
``Angel above,'' Kris whispered. ``That was like four months ago.''
``It sure was,'' Asriel said as he let out an especially tired yawn. ``At least it's my final year.''
He reached across the table and patted Kris' hand. The contact felt nice and soft, with that plush fur brushing against their bare skin. It was enough to make a shiver crawl up Kris' spine.
They couldn't tell why he had that sort of effect on them. And honestly, they felt a little worried about it. They weren't secretly developing feelings for him were...
No! No! Certainly not. It was just nice to make contact with someone else. That it was it. Not every little bit of intimacy had to be romantic or something. This was just like getting a hug from their mother or Noelle.
``But hey, just wait until your second year and then you'll get to worry about that yourself,'' Asriel added, pointing his cup towards Kris. ``Then I'll let you in on all of the little secrets I know.''
``Secrets?'' Kris scoffed. ``I doubt you know any secrets.''
``Hey I know all the best places to take naps,'' Asriel said, shrugging. ``And also, the coffee places that will let you go beyond three shots of espresso with your order.''
Kris smirked. ``I think I'm good sticking with energy drinks.''
Asriel stuck out his tongue in disgust. ``Don't you know that those are bad for you?''
``And three shots of espresso aren't?'' Kris grumbled as they playfully glared at their brother. ``I'm sure they have a similar caffeine content.''
``Nah, that's natural, you know?'' Asriel explained. ``Trust me, you'll see things from my perspective quickly enough.''
``Uh huh,'' Kris replied. It was now their turn to roll their eyes.
Their conversation was sidelined as the monster working the cafe came out with a tray that held two plates upon it. She moved over to the table and grabbed the first of these plates, placing it down in front of Asriel. Then she did so with the other, placing it before Kris.
Asriel went with a nice slice of apple pie with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream upon it. The whole thing was coated in a generous splotch of caramel sauce.
Kris meanwhile got themself a slice of Basque-style cheesecake with a drizzle of chocolate sauce crisscrossing the browned surface. The sight was enough to make their mouth water.
``Enjoying your day so far?'' the monster asked. She was an alligator who was about Asriel's age.
Asriel stirred and nodded ``So far, so good, things are always made better by some good food.'' He then flashed a smile. ``And amazing service.''
The waitress smiled a little more sincerely at that.
Kris felt a pang. How was their brother always such a good flirt? And why did they feel oddly jealous about that?
The alligator nodded. ``Glad to hear it.'' She looked at Kris and then back at Asriel. ``You know, we don't get many folks like you in this neighbourhood. It's nice to see.''
Asriel blinked. ``Pardon?''
Kris also looked at her, curious about what exactly she meant by that. A quick look around told them that humans weren't entirely uncommon in this part of the city, with at least one or two of them currently on the streets.
``Sorry, sorry, that came across weirder than I meant it,'' the employee said as a little bit of red coloured her cheeks. ``It's just... my girlfriend is also human and it's really nice seeing a couple like yours out in public.''
She flashed a nervous smile, glancing between them.
Asriel gawked, blinking. He was clearly left speechless by this little confession.
Kris was also momentarily left in a stupor. They really didn't know how to respond to something like that. It was just unheard of, so outside of their usual wheelhouse.
Their knee jerk reaction was to be repulsed. But just over the horizon of repulsion, there was this nagging little voice which couldn't help but kind of enjoy hearing something like that. They really liked the fact that they were considered attractive enough to be dating someone like Asriel.
...
Okay, what the fuck brain?!
Asriel finally spoke. ``Kris is actually my little sibling.''
``I'm adopted,'' Kris added.
It was now the employee's turn to be left in utter silence. She blinked a couple of times and her heavy jaw began to drop as she slowly looked between them. Kris swore that they could visibly see her life flashing before her eyes.
``Oh,'' was all she said. And then she was gone, rushing back towards the door and drawing a few other customer's attention along with her.
Kris and Asriel looked at one another. Neither of them said anything for a good long moment. Then Kris started to snicker, covering their mouth with the back of their hand in some desperate attempt to contain it. This brought Asriel along with them as he started laughing as well. The two of them earned quite a few looks but Kris really couldn't help themselves as they devolved into a proper fit.
This went on for a good long while before each of them settled. By the time Kris was finished, there were actually tears in their eyes which they had to blink away.
``I feel bad,'' Asriel chided, wiping at his own eyes.
Kris nodded. ``She looked mortified.''
``I mean I guess I could see how a mistake like that could happen,'' Asriel commented, shrugging. ``I'd imagine that interspecies adoption isn't nearly as common as interspecies dating, you know?''
Kris felt a pang at that comment. Then they felt a pang at feeling a pang, knowing it was wrong to like that sort of mistake. Why did they not hate the idea though? This was their fucking brother after all. It felt extremely wrong to even consider it.
``Everything okay?'' Asriel asked.
Kris perked up. ``Yeah, sorry, just need some food I think.'' They picked up their fork and used it to slice through the cake, popping a bite into their mouth. ``Haven't eaten anything yet today.''
``No breakfast?'' Asriel asked.
Kris smirked. ``Does coffee count?''
``It certainly does not,'' Asriel retorted. He focused on his own meal and took a careful bite of it. ``Are you seeing anyone?''
Kris smirked. ``Why? Do you want to make that woman's theory a reality?''
Asriel blushed. Kris had meant it as a joke but... it seemed that maybe this was the wrong time for something like that.
``No,'' they then followed up, looking at him and smiling. ``How about you?''
``Not right now,'' Asriel said. ``Can't seem to make any of the guys or girls stick. Guess they aren't fond of my intense country vibes.''
``You are a bit of a bumpkin,'' Kris jeered.
Asriel glared at them. ``Excuse me? Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?''
The door to the cafe opened and the alligator monster came back out. She seemed anxious as she approached with two fresh cups of matcha. Kris and Asriel both watched as she made her way over to the table.
``Sorry about earlier,'' the employee whispered, placing the cups down. ``These are on the house.''
Asriel tried to offer a reassuring smile. ``No harm, no foul.''
``Happens all the time,'' Kris lied.
The alligator seemed to grow a little less tense at that statement.
Asriel simply cocked a brow.
``Hope you have a nice rest of your day,'' the employee said before darting away.
``Poor thing looked scared shitless,'' Kris whispered, keeping their voice low enough that only themself and Asriel could hear. ``Feel bad for her.''
``What do you mean `happens all the time'?'' Asriel asked.
Kris perked up and then shrugged at him. ``I don't know, just felt like the right thing to say.'' They pointed their fork at Asriel. ``Make her feel better, you know?''
Asriel nodded but said nothing to that.
Bet you'd like it to happen more often though. Maybe you'd even want it to be...
SHUT UP!
They looked at Asriel. He was handsome, he was kind, and he had a lot of nice traits about him. But the two of them were siblings, even if not by birth. That wasn't the kind of guy who it was appropriate to fall for. No, not in the slightest.
And that wasn't going to change no matter how many intrusive thoughts told them otherwise.
``You know...'' Asriel picked up the new cup, taking a sip from it. ``We should lean into this more often.''
Kris choked upon their own drink. ``Pardon?''
``I mean we got free drinks out of it,'' Asriel said, winking at them. ``Who knows what else we could get?''
``You want to pretend to be in a relationship just so we can mortify people into giving us free stuff when they realize that we're actually siblings?'' Kris asked, shaking their head in disbelief. ``What the fuck? That's a bit much even for me.''
``Hey, you're a student now,'' Asriel chided, wagging a finger at them. ``You can't afford not to think about getting free stuff.''
Kris scoffed and slowly shook their head. They couldn't believe that Asriel of all monsters was actually suggesting something like this.
Asriel suddenly looked rather dark, poking at his food. ``I'm kidding of course.'' He glanced up at them. ``You know that, right?''
``Right,'' Kris replied.
Why did he look so hurt all of a sudden?
The two of them focused on their food, not saying a word to one another. The silence was uncomfortable, oppressive, reminding Kris so much of dinners back home when it had just been them and mom, awkward and oddly lonely.
They would never admit it but they kind of liked the idea of dating Asriel.
...
Yet, there was no harm in playing pretend, right? It was just the two of them goofing around to score some free stuff. There didn't necessarily have to be anything actually there.
``I mean it's worth a shot,'' Kris said.
Asriel perked up. ``What?''
Kris leaned forward and batted their lashes at him. ``Let's make this a date.''
Asriel blushed bright red. ``Sure.''
Why had he just blushed at his own idea?
[hr]
Asriel should've been horrified, he really should've. Why oh why had he agreed to this little plan back at the cafe? It was a silly thought of his that really didn't need to be actioned upon.
Yet, here they were, in the park, walking together. They were closer than they would normally be. Not holding hands or anything but definitely in that range where someone could reasonably clock them as being on a date if they were liberally-minded enough.
And here was Kris looking so comfortable in this position. They even seemed to revel in the way that monsters looked at them with a curiosity that had Asriel on edge.
``Nice day,'' Kris commented.
Asriel nodded. ``Yeah, it is.''
Yet, something about this `date' also felt so very right.
Maybe it was getting to be seen with such a cool looking human. It felt like Kris was miles out of his league, like the kind of person that a rockstar should be dating and not a dweeb like him. They were alternative and wild, colourful and flamboyant in their style.
Their hair was currently tied back into a man bun with their dark brown locks accented with tips of blonde and purple. The kind of look which they had really leaned into since leaving home and Toriel's ever watchful eye. Along with their hair, they also now sported two ear piercings, a lip ring, and an industrial bridging the gap of one ear. And while Asriel wore a boring plaid shirt, Kris wore a bright and loud buttoned-up blouse with tight jeans that looked so fitting for an art student like themself.
Would it be wrong to say that they looked hot?
It felt like that was inappropriate to even consider it.
``Man, are monster-human relationships really that uncommon,'' Kris teased.
Asriel stirred and worked his jaw. ``Just a reminder that we're not actually a...''
``Yeah, yeah, but still the way that monsters just gawk at us,'' Kris said, shaking their head. ``Would make you think that we were doing something wrong.''
Asriel denied himself the urge to point out that they were actually doing something wrong. Something very wrong in fact. Sure, there was nothing wrong about a human and monster being together but it just so happened that this monster and this human were very much related.
``I kind of like it,'' Kris added.
Asriel groaned. ``Kris.''
``What's up, babe?'' Kris teased, batting their lashes at him. ``You were the one who wanted to get free stuff, remember?''
Asriel flushed and looked off to the side. ``Nothing.''
Not that they had gotten any free stuff out of this since the cafe. In fact, they were probably so deep that they couldn't just brush off the next accusation so easily. At this point, the truth was probably more harmful than the lie.
Curse you for opening your stupid mouth in the first place, Asriel Dreemurr.
Why had he even said something like that back at the cafe?
...
Because you secretly like the idea.
Asriel felt rather warm in the cheeks, all of a sudden, knowing that he was likely burning bright red. Hopefully his thick white fur obscured that blush from any prying eyes.
Kris was a lot of things. They were handsome, and kind, and honestly knew him as well as anyone had since December. But even if they weren't related by blood, this was still wrong on so many different levels.
...
But then why did it feel so right? Why did he kind of like the sound of going on an honest to the Angel date with them? Why did he want to kiss them?
``Yo, Earth to Azzy!'' Kris called.
Asriel stirred and noticed that Kris was in front of him, planting their hands upon their hips.
``Sorry, sorry,'' he said, shaking his head. ``I must've zoned out.''
``Yeah, I could tell,'' Kris said, flashing a playful little smile. They reached out and poked him on the forehead with a single finger. ``Everything alright up there?''
Asriel scoffed and rolled his eyes, batting their hand away with his own. ``Well, my little sibling is currently vicariously living out their weird incest fantasies through me. So, I'll say that I'm a little weirded out.''
Just saying that was worth it as Kris went beet red, frantically looking around the park as if expecting that a dozen different monsters would be listening in. Thankfully, there were no monsters nearby who could overhear them.
``This was your idea!'' they yelped.
``I mean sure but I don't see how us going for a walk is going to mortify any service staff into giving us free stuff.'' Asriel flashed a rather assured smile as he bumped into Kris. ``I think you're just having fun with the fantasy is all.''
Kris' blush deepened.
If Asriel didn't know any better, he could've sworn that he just hit the nail on the head.
...
No... no way. There was no way that Kris was actually loving this!
``I was just doing it because I thought you'd enjoy it,'' Kris finally declared, forcibly taking a step away from him. They made a show of folding their arms together in front of their chest. ``Since I know what kind of porn you look at.''
Asriel's eyes widened. ``What?''
``Yeah, I know how much stepsibling stuff you search up,'' Kris added, smirking at him. They puffed out their chest to look even more as if trying to seem stronger. ``You're not beating the allegations.''
Asriel very much wanted to die right now. How had Kris found out about that? Hadn't he been using an incognito browser when he was back home?
``How did you know?'' Asriel asked.
Realization flashed in Kris' eyes. ``Oh shit.''
``Wait,'' Asriel whispered.
``I had no idea that you...'' Kris stuttered. ``Dude, I was joking!''
Asriel flushed bright red, closing his eyes. A part of him wished that the Angel would come down and just smite him, there and then. Yet, there was apparently no God as he remained very much alive, rooted in place and forced to endure this truly awkward moment.
It felt like time had paused, like he would be forced to endure this embarrassment for the rest of eternity.
``Why would you joke about something like that?'' Asriel whispered.
Kris groaned. ``I don't know, I just...'' They moved away from the trail, resting against a nearby tree. ``Sorry.''
Asriel came over as well, leaning against a tree next to Kris'. He looked at them, watching the way they breathed: in and out, nice and slow.
``I...'' Kris started but promptly stopped, clearly thinking better of whatever they were going to say. ``The cafe was weird.''
Asriel nodded.
``And that waitress got me thinking,'' Kris started to explain, motioning with their hand as if it would do the talking for them. When it didn't, they then sighed. ``Like she was wrong but also it would've been nice if she'd been right.'' They looked at him. ``If that makes sense.''
Asriel lifted a brow and said nothing. He couldn't very well deny that. A certain part of his psyche craved that mistake as well. A part of him wished that they hadn't been related and that they'd actually been on an actual date.
But he assumed that was just it, a part of him, and not a part of them.
Because you're a freak.
Asriel frowned.
``Like I don't really know what's going on with my head right now,'' Kris whispered, now cradling their temples between a forefinger and thumb. ``But I keep coming back to that thought and thinking about how nice it would be if it were real.''
Asriel nodded. ``I get you.''
Kris finally opened their eyes and looked at him. ``You do?'' They must've seen this sincerity in him as they then nodded, offering a small smile in exchange. ``You do...''
``It was a weird feeling,'' Asriel stated, running a hand through his rich blonde hair. ``And it felt wrong but in that way that you kind of like.''
Kris nodded.
``Like I remember I was once smoking pot with Dess back in high school,'' Asriel started to explain, gesturing towards Kris. ``And I knew mom would be so fucking pissed if she found out about it. But that kind of made it so much better, knowing that it was rebellious like that.''
Kris smirked. ``Would us being together be rebellious?''
``I don't know about that,'' Asriel chided. ``But it kind of feels the same way. At least to me.''
``And if we get caught?'' Kris asked. There was a tight smile upon their lips. ``Think that you're big enough of a rebel to risk that choir boy reputation of yours?''
Asriel shrugged. ``We're like two hundred kilometers away from home in a city with close to a million people. And maybe like a dozen of them actually know us from Hometown.'' He smirked. ``I'd take those odds any day of the week.'' He glanced at Kris and winked at them. ``Hypothetically of course.''
Was he really talking about this with Kris? Was this really happening?
``Hypothetically,'' Kris repeated, nodding in agreement.
They pushed away from the tree and moved over to Asriel, getting a little closer. It wasn't intimate but it wouldn't take much effort to get to that point.
``Strictly hypothetically,'' Asriel agreed.
Kris reached out and brushed a finger along the seam on the front of Asriel's shirt, gliding across the buttons in a teasing motion. ``And where would you hypothetically like to go on a date?''
``Well speaking purely hypothetically,'' Asriel replied, looking down at their hand. He didn't brush it aside nor move away from it. It was honestly just kind of nice to have it there in the first place. ``I'd really like to go to the art museum and then maybe get some drinks afterwards.''
``The museum is pretty close to my dorms,'' Kris commented, looking up and meeting his eyes.
Asriel smirked. ``Hypothetically?''
``Nah, I uh... I actually live close to it,'' Kris teased, grinning at him. ``That one isn't hypothetical.''
``This is wrong,'' Asriel said, finally drawing away.
Yet, Kris caught his hand within their own. ``Well thankfully you have me here.'' They used their leverage to pull Asriel back into facing them. ``I am an expert in acting wrong. If they gave degrees in it then I'd have a fucking doctorate.''
``What would your thesis be on?'' Asriel joked.
Kris grinned even wider. ``Fucking my brother.''
Asriel flushed bright red and looked down at their sibling's hand. There were so many voices shouting at him not to take them up on this offer. So many of them beseeched him into not giving in.
But those voices were so muted compared to those which absolutely adored the idea.
``Kris,'' Asriel tried.
``If you don't want to do this then I'll drop it,'' Kris said, taking a cautious step forward. They grew even closer, breaching the divide and getting well into his personal space. ``But I want to hear you say that you don't want to do it.''
``It's a bad idea,'' Asriel chided.
Kris smirked. ``I said that I want to hear you say no. I don't want to hear about whether it's a good or bad idea.''
Asriel looked Kris in the eye. Those piercing purple eyes.
``Kris...'' Asriel said.
Kris smirked. ``Yeah?''
``You're a dork,'' Asriel chided.
Kris rolled their eyes. ``Oh, for fuck...''
Asriel suddenly gripped their face and lunged forwards, pressing his lips forcefully against their own.
In a moment, there was no more Kris nor Azzy but something united... something better... something that was a combination of them but also far better in its existence. It was nirvana and euphoria, passion and love. It was everything amazing about the world.
Most importantly, however.
It was a yes.
Yes, he wanted to date them.
And as Kris' tongue ventured forth, it seemed that they wanted to date him too.
